Francis Ngannou- MILITAR MINDSET

Coming from virtually nothing in Cameroon, Francis Ngannou has evolved into one of the greatest heavyweight fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today. This weekend he was finally able to achieve his dream of becoming the UFC heavyweight champion by defeating the great Stipe Miocic.

Winning in spectacular finish with a knockout in the second round. Having lost the first fight via unanimous decision, he has been able to make a tremendous comeback to win the world title. Ngannou’s story is an inspirational one. Having worked in the Cameroon sand quarries as a child, then ending up homeless in France. He didn’t quit till he fulfilled his dreams. There is no doubt that Ngannou has the MILITAR MINDSET!

How has Ngannou displayed the MILITAR MINDSET?

Ngannou has been able to develop both physical and mental strength from a young age. Enabling him to have a positive MINDSET. Initially Ngannou would set his sights on becoming a boxer, taking inspiration from Mike Tyson. After training in Cameroon, he knew he would need to move somewhere else to be able to chase his dreams.

He would leave his native land of Cameroon in search of attaining his aspirations. After travelling to Europe, he would finally find himself in France, where he had no money. No friends. He was completely alone and homeless.

It was here he would meet Didier Carmont who would help him out with money, clothes and also introduce him to mixed martial arts (MMA). Ngannou required money to live off and needed it fast. He realised there were better opportunities for this in MMA and moved his focus to the sport.

From here we can see how strong Ngannou had to be mentally. Going through all this trial and trauma to chase his dreams shows us how much he really wanted it. He believed in himself and knew that he could become one of the best MMA fighters, though he had only just started training.

His determination to succeed is what allowed him to reach the successes he now has today. Ngannou tells us ‘I keep my head straight toward my goal.’ Ngannou doesn’t look at the negatives or anything that happened in the past.He doesn’t get distracted by looking around, he concentrates on what’s in front of him.

By doing this he is able to focus his attention on what he needs to do to reach his goals. By dwelling on that which you cannot change, you are distracting yourself from your ultimate end goal. Through hard work and belief all is achievable. You must keep a positive mindset and keep pushing towards your dreams. 

Ngannou is a massive INSPIRATION to everyone 

Ngannou has one of the most INSPIRING stories in MMA. Coming from poverty living in Cameroon, he had to work in the sand quarries from around the age of 12 due to a lack of money. Life was tough for Ngannou.

He wanted to chase his dreams. In a place where dreams were frowned upon. He was expected to just follow suit and do any standard job he could get his hands on. But Ngannou wanted more for himself. He wanted to show all that if you really do want to achieve your dreams, you can do it!

His journey to UFC stardom has been inspirational to all people who feel hopeless of attaining their dreams. Ngannou has shown no matter what situation you are in; anything is possible. In his homeland of Cameroon, he has become a huge icon that kids look up to.

They have been able to see how he was just like them and now has become one of the biggest stars in the UFC. Many dream of being like him and follow their own aspirations.

As we can see in the header image, Ngannou has stated: ‘People easily quit their dream because it’s not easy.’ Teaching us that quitting is easy. But actually working towards your dreams is tough. It requires a lot of work and dedication.

There will be bad days where you may have failed. It is how you learn from these tough times and bounce back that matters. Ngannou has shown how tough of a situation he originally found himself in, being homeless. Through meeting good people and having a vision, he was able to work towards his dream of becoming a UFC champion.

You mustn’t be deterred by failures and adversity. It is all part of the process when it comes to pushing towards your goals. You must keep going as the problems you face will soon blossom into good times!

Ngannou went from nothing to something…he is LIMITLESS!

Ngannou has already proven to us that he is LIMITLESS! To avoid repetition, (we already know Ngannou’s backstory by now!) But to  demonstrate how Ngannou embodies this value, we will have to look at his upbringing to see how he truly is limitless.Those raised in poverty are less likely to dream and be ambitious.

In Ngannou’s own words: ‘In Cameroon, kids have many problems. They think everything is lost before they are born. It seems like they are not allowed to dream. They are not allowed to be ambitious. They just accept being the victim of their life.’ Here we can see the frustration Ngannou has with kids being discouraged from chasing their dreams.

Many just accept the circumstances they are in, with no belief that their dreams are attainable. Ngannou has been able to prove them wrong, showing them that anything is achievable. He went from working in a sand quarry as a child to a UFC superstar.

Not many believed in Ngannou. They thought he was crazy. To dream of doing something that was never seen before amongst his people. But his desire and will to become a UFC fighter and champion is what pushed him.

Whatever negativity people gave him, he ignored. He focused on himself and achieving his dreams till he got there! Don’t let anyone tell you your dreams are not achievable. Be limitless! With desire and worth ethic, anything can be accomplished. 

Ngannou is able to find his INNER-PEACE

Ngannou is able to reach his own INNER-PEACE. Now being able to live a much better life than he experienced as a child, he is grateful for what he has. From chasing his dreams and what makes him truly happy, is he able to reach this state. Ngannou now wants to help the people who were like him when he was younger to find their own purpose in life.

He has stated: ‘I want to help my family, first, of course, but then I want to give opportunity to children in my country like me who have a dream to become a doctor or something. If I reach my dream, it will give me the opportunity to help those in my country who have their own dreams and nothing else to fulfil them’ Here we can clearly see what matters to Ngannou.

Providing for his family is something he always has on top of his mind . Then being able to help those who are less fortunate to chase their own goals is important to him too.

He has his own foundation, where he aims to help as many people as he can back in Cameroon. Building gyms and facilities in his hometown. Check it out here, it is a great cause! You must find your own purpose in life and what makes you truly happy to reach your own inner-peace. 

Ngannou knows the importance of TIME

Ngannou has had to show patience and TIME to achieve the things he has. Though he had a meteoric rise to stardom, there have been highs and lows that he has had to overcome.

Upon coming to France and learning about MMA, he would have his debut immediately in 2013. From compiling a record of 5-1, in just over 2 years, he would land a UFC contract. This is remarkable, seeing as Ngannou was a complete novice to mixed martial arts prior to 2013.

He would then go on a tear, destroying all his opponents within the distance (most were devastating knockouts). In just over 2 years in the UFC, he would find himself in a chance to make history against the champion at the time, Stipe Miocic, to become the first ever African UFC champion.

There was a lot of hype around Ngannou given his previous performances and he was the favourite. But he would be in for a reality check, as the champion weathered the early storm of Ngannou, winning with ease via unanimous decision. This would be tough for Ngannou to handle, showing in his next fight which was a lackluster event with Derrick Lewis.

Both were notoriously known for their power. Ngannou seemed to have frozen, doing barely anything through the fight. It would be another loss and people thought he was done.

He would regroup and prove all the critics wrong. Coming back in spectacular fashion, going on a 4-fight win streak, knocking all of his opponents out within the first round! Finally landing him the title shot once again. It would be a rematch with Stipe Miocic, who is highly regarded as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. This time he would be able to get the job done, becoming a champion at last!

Ngannou teaches us: ‘Just do what you do. Sometimes you do well, and sometimes you do wrong, but you have to just be able to deal with yourself and move forward.’ From here we can see how Ngannou was able to deal with his adversities.

He was patient and gave himself time. We all will make mistakes, but we must learn from them and allow ourselves to improve over time. You must learn from your own mistakes and failures on your own journey to success. These teachings will only help you to fulfil your dreams in the long term.

Ngannou has been ACTIVE throughout his life

Ngannou likes to stay ACTIVE. It is a trait he has developed since childhood. Always being busy and having something to do. This work ethic has helped him tremendously in his MMA career.

Ngannou is not shy about putting the work in to reach his goals. In terms of his MMA career, he makes sure that he fights around 2/3 times a year. Giving him enough time to prepare for his fights. Allowing him to be in peak condition.

Also, as he is still fairly new to the world of mixed martial arts, there is still a lot for him to learn. Usually, an MMA fighter would have previously trained in a martial art such as wrestling, boxing or Muay Thai/ Kickboxing. Ngannou would not start training till the age of 22, which is quite a late time to start MMA.

With his willingness to learn and his natural athleticism, he was able to make leaps of progress in a short amount of time. By constantly training, he is able to learn new things, adding to his arsenal.

Ngannou has said: ‘The one who intimidates me is myself. I’m scared to fail. That is the thing that makes me the most afraid, to fail. Just to think that I can do a mistake and lose the fight scares me, so that is why I work out a lot: to bring more chance to my size and less chance to my opponent.’ We can see that one factor that drives Ngannou is failure.

Though of course it is bound to happen at times, he knows that by preparing himself the best he can, the likelihood will decrease. Staying active allows Ngannou to improve his skills but also his confidence in himself.

We only doubt ourselves when we are not constantly working and improving. You must stay active when chasing your aspirations. Constant progression is important, enabling you to reach your ultimate dream one day!

Ngannou is just RELENTLESS 

Ngannou has remained RELENTLESS throughout his life! With the hardest recorded punch in the world, Ngannou does whatever it takes to win!

He wanted a better life for himself. A life where he was happy and was able to chase his dreams. Nothing deterred him from this. Not stopping until he finally achieved it. This drive and determination to fulfil his dreams is what ultimately drove Ngannou to success.

Once the UFC was in his sights, becoming the champion was all he wanted. Not just for himself. But also for his people. Showing them that their dreams can turn into reality.

Ngannou tells us ‘As a challenger, I need and want to fight some people because that would give me the opportunity to get to the title shot.’ Reinforcing that all he wanted to do was to become the champion. His vision was clear. Do all in his power to get another shot at the title.

Till he finally got there and did it. He became a UFC champion! Be relentless on your own path towards your ultimate dream. Keep going till you get closer and closer. Then one day you will get there!

Ngannou is now on top of the heavyweight division. He had a dream and didn’t stop till he achieved it. His story is truly inspirational and we can all learn from it!

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I have shown how Francis Ngannou has implemented Militar values throughout his life. Make sure you subscribe to our blog to find out how other people you look up to have! Next up is…